Airfoils such as stationary vanes in compressor or turbine sections of gas turbine engines use surface curvature to change the static pressure of the fluid (e.g., gas) flowing therethrough to redirect the flow of fluid. Such airfoils can be arranged in one or more rows circumferentially extending about a central longitudinal axis of such engines and can extend generally radially relative to the central axis. An annular gas path through the one or more rows of airfoils can be defined by circumferential endwalls radially inward and/or radially outward from the one or more rows of airfoils.
During operation, secondary flows can develop on or near such endwalls and produce energy losses. Attempts have been made to reduce the development of such secondary flows through the modification of the geometry of the endwalls. However, existing methods can result in endwall geometries that are relatively complex and expensive to produce.
Improvement is therefore desirable.